NFL Draft 2019: Top 32 prospects – Post-Senior Bowl edition

For fans of teams that need a dominant interior force but miss out on Alabama’s Quinnen Williams, look no further than Houston standout Ed Oliver.

Oliver was one of the most decorated high school recruits in the past ten years and surprised some when he committed to play at Houston under then-coach Tom Herman, despite being wooed heavily by every major program under the sun. He soon became the type of five-star recruit who lives up to their legend and then some, leaving campus as the school’s first three-time All-American in program history.

As good as Oliver’s play on the field has been since arriving at Houston, he made some not-so-good headlines this season following a sideline outburst directed at Cougars head coach Major Applewhite.

Whether or not teams believe that his sideline antics last season or missed time due to a knee injury are troublesome for his long-term future, there’s no doubt that Oliver is one of the most dynamic players in the entire draft class.

The first thing you notice about Oliver (6-foot-3, 292 pounds) on tape is his unbelievable strength. His get-off and pad level allows him to move any poor soul with the unfortunate assignment of blocking him several yards into the backfield. He displays excellent footwork in his pass rush and can use a swim or push-pull-rip move to blow by opposing offensive linemen.

There is some concern about his length, especially in the run game, as blockers can stall him fairly efficiently if they’re able to fire their hands into his chest first. I don’t see it as a huge issue, necessarily, as Oliver has a relentless motor and can use his strength to literally push linemen into running lanes and force runs to go a different direction with his bull rush.

Mark my words: Oliver will be the talk of the NFL Combine with his testing numbers and should cement himself as a top-five pick.